England can win Cup: 1966 hat-trick hero

10 July 2018

"It's going to be hard - the semi-final at a World Cup, it's not going to be an easy game - but it's a game we feel we're ready for".

It was a handsome moment because it seemed everyone suddenly saw themselves as part of our team. England and Croatia will square off Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET to see which nation will advance to the 2018 World Cup final.

"We weren't aware of everything going on in the country as we were kept in a bubble", said Hurst, who added that none of the other teams still in Russian Federation should frighten England.

Southgate spent time in the United States at the start of the year, watching the Super Bowl but also National Basketball Association games in a bid to discover how teams got themselves into space near the basket via choreographed moves and plays.

What do you mean you're going to need more than that? He has created that team spirit and atmosphere around the squad, probably over the course of several weeks, and it has carried you from game to game.

The semi-final will be played on Wednesday and it promises to be an enthralling affair.

And Southgate believes winning the World Cup this year would be even bigger than Sir Alf Ramsey's side doing so 52 years ago.

"They are willing to put their heads through a brick wall", Young said with smile.

Every team's circumstances can change very quickly.

He added: "Hopefully we had a long month together, which we have done".

Almost 20 million viewers tuned in for the 2-0 quarter-final win over Sweden and social media is awash with videos of excited fans watching on big screens in bars and parks, celebrating every England goal.

"Before I knew it, I'd missed my train".

For them, the real red letter day was a 3-2 win over the reigning world champions in 1967.

So it looks like the system is in place to bring more and more players through the pipeline, that can continue this surge.